This invention is directed to a new and improved toy balancing device.
Numerous counting devices are known which rely on the fact that an object based either upon its weight or its placement is compared to one or more other objects by simply placing the objects on opposite sides of a lever arm and comparing whether or not the lever arm remains in balance. Intellectually such devices can be geared to a child's level and be used to teach the child number recognition and/or simple addition or subtraction. More sophisticated devices such as that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,742,619 have employed this type of principle to teach adults more sophisticated relationships.
Because children tend to have very limited attention spans, the above mentioned devices which simply consist of a balance bar are not sufficiently interesting enough for children to hold their attention for the time required for them to learn multiple relationships among numbers, objects, etc. Additionally most of these devices directed toward children must be mass produced and as such do not contain precision components. Typical of these devices is a device which is simply a first class level suspended on a fulcrum block. Since the pivot point on these devices is exposed, for safety sake, it cannot be in the shape of a knife edge but instead must be rounded and is therefore less accurate. Because of this as the child loads objects upon an arm, friction can sometimes hold the arm in place and not allow the child to discriminate between two very closely related numbers.
Other balance devices have been manufactured which incorporate a bell within the device to signal when the device is out of balance. In such devices if the balance arm is always free, i.e. does not incorporate a fixed rest position, unless the child puts the correct number of objects on both side of the arm simultaneously, the bell will continually sound and in effect this will distract the child before the child completes the solution of the problem being solved with the balance device.